Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes was named the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year on Monday evening. Skenes, last year's first overall pick out of LSU, debuted less than a year after being drafted and is a generational talent at the position. The 22-year-old went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA over 23 starts in 133 innings for the Pirates this year, and his 170 strikeouts were a franchise record. His ERA was the lowest for a rookie pitcher with at least 20 starts in the live-ball era (dating to 1920) and the lowest of any pitcher in 2024 with at least 130 innings. Skenes' fWAR was 10th among big-league pitchers, and he was also named one of the finalists for the NL Cy Young, joining lefty Chris Sale and right-hander Zack Wheeler. Skenes is already one of the most dominant pitchers in the sport and will be a highly-coveted fantasy ace in 2025.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher was dominant in his short outing on Saturday and didn't allow a single runner on in his two innings of working during the Pirates' 9-4 win over the New York Yankees. Skenes finishes with a 1.96 ERA on the season with an 11-3 record and a strong case to win the National League Rookie of the Year award. The 22-year-old dazzled all season long and had 22 starts allowing just two ER or fewer. Fantasy managers of all leagues have been thrilled with his performance and he should certainly be a target to hold onto in keeper leagues. In 2025 he may experience some negative regression as his 1.96 ERA is paired with a 2.56 xERA, but his xERA still ranks in the 96th percentile. Should his numbers stay any bit similar to his 2024 season, and if he finishes the 2025 season healthy, he will contend for and likely win the Cy Young award.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes pitched well but took the loss in Monday's 4-0 game against the Cardinals. Skenes pitched six innings, allowing one run on four hits and a walk with seven strikeouts. Unfortunately, the Pirates could not provide any offensive support and were shut down by Andre Pallante. Regardless of the loss, the 22-year-old rookie has been outstanding this season. He is now 10-3 with a 2.07 ERA, a 0.98 WHIP, and an 11.29 K/9 rate in 21 starts and 126 IP. His next matchup will be on the road at the Reds. While the ballpark is not favorable, Skenes has proven to be a top fantasy pitcher in any matchup.
Paul Skenes Sets Pirates Rookie Strikeout Record Monday
Pittsburgh Pirates rookie starting pitcher Paul Skenes continued to dazzle in Monday's 3-2 win over the Marlins. Skenes pitched six innings, allowing one run on six hits and a walk with nine strikeouts. The 22-year-old has lived up to all the hype that came with being a No. 1 overall pick and is 10-2 with a 2.10 ERA, a 0.99 WHIP, and an 11.33 K/9 rate (151 strikeouts) in 20 starts and 120 IP. Not only did the start help Skenes break the Pirates franchise record for strikeouts by a rookie, but it put him in a select group of all historical pitchers with more strikeouts in their first 20 games. Skenes' next start is slated to be a favorable matchup at the Cardinals, although the team does not strike out much.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes turned in another excellent start in Tuesday's 5-0 win over the Cubs. Skenes pitched five innings, allowing four hits and four walks with six strikeouts on 100 pitches. The 22-year-old rookie has lived up to the hype this season as one of baseball's top prospects, going 9-2 with a 2.13 ERA, a 0.98 WHIP, and an 11.21 K/9 rate in 19 starts and 114 IP. His performance has put him in the National League Rookie of the Year conversation and has made him a high-end fantasy option on a start-by-start basis. He will have another opportunity to showcase his skills in his next start, which will be a favorable matchup against the Nationals.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes put on another show in Thursday's series-opening victory over the visiting Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park, throwing six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts. Skenes twirled a gem on Thursday evening against the Reds, scattering two hits and one walk amid rumors the Pirates could eventually elect to shut down the electric 22-year-old National League Rookie of the Year frontrunner down the stretch of what's becoming a lost season. Skenes was held to 87 pitches despite his dominance in this one, so the monitored workload appears to have arrived. On the campaign, Pittsburgh's ace now has seven wins and owns a 2.16 ERA and 0.94 WHIP with 130 punchouts and 25 walks across 104 frames (17 starts). As it stands, Skenes remains tentatively scheduled to toe the rubber next on Tuesday at home against the division-rival Chicago Cubs.
Pirates Have No Immediate Plans To Shut Paul Skenes Down
The Pittsburgh Pirates have no immediate plans to shut rookie right-hander Paul Skenes down. "There is no immediate plan to shut him down. There has never been any immediate plans to shut him down. How we monitor that, whether it's an innings limit or a workload limit per game, we'll be thoughtful about that," manager Derek Shelton said. While the Pirates continue to say they don't have any plans to shut down the 22-year-old phenom, they previously said they will consider shortening his outings. Last year's first overall pick out of LSU has already thrown more innings in 2024 than he did all of last year combined between college and in the minors. Skenes has been as advertised, going 7-2 with a 2.30 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 121 K's in 98 innings over his first 16 MLB starts. However, fantasy managers should expect some kind of restrictions down the stretch, especially if the Bucs are officially eliminated from playoff contention.
With the Pittsburgh Pirates' chances of making the postseason now below one percent, the Pittsburgh Pirates could consider shortening rookie sensation Paul Skenes' starts down the stretch. This is Skenes' first professional season and he's thrown 125 1/3 innings between the majors and minors in 2024, nearly as many as he did a year ago between LSU and his brief stint in the Pirates' system. Pittsburgh could cite the long-term health of Skenes as a reason to do so, but it would also prevent him from finishing first or second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting, an outcome that would deprive him of gaining a full year of service time and keep him in Pittsburgh for at least one extra season. However, according to sources briefed on their thinking, the Pirates currently have no such plans and don't have a set innings limit for him. Skenes remains a must-start in all fantasy lineups, but this is a disclaimer that his upside the rest of the year could be limited if he's not working as deep into games.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes allowed two earned runs on three hits and four walks while striking out six batters over six innings of work in Friday's 5-3 victory over the Mariners. He also hit a batter. It was the former first-round draft pick's 12th quality start in 16 games started and he now has a sterling 2.30 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and a 25.5% K-BB%. While there isn't much to complain about, it was the third time in the last four starts that the 22-year-old walked at least three batters, and he's hit a batter in five of seven, so he could be tiring with 125 1/3 IP under his belt this season between the minors and majors. Regardless, as long as he's on the mound fantasy managers should be firing him up.
Pittsburgh Pirates rookie hurler Paul Skenes recorded his 11th quality start in 13 appearances during Monday's 5-3 win at the Houston Astros and also reached 100 strikeouts in the big leagues. Skenes went six innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits while striking out six and walking three in a no-decision that lowered his ERA to 1.90. He did see his nine-start streak of at least seven strikeouts end, tying him with Dwight Gooden (1984) and Brandon Beachy (2011) among rookies. Skenes is 6-1 with 103 strikeouts and a 0.90 WHIP, dominant numbers his fantasy managers will look forward to in his next scheduled start versus the San Diego Padres on August 6.
Paul Skenes
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